Does vocabulary and word choice actually matter when appealing to certain demographics? Read on to learn more!
The use of the terms Deaf vs hearing impaired has been debated in the Deaf community for quite a while, but the difference between the terms ‘Deaf/deaf,’ ‘hard of hearing’ and ‘hearing impaired’ may not be obvious at first. So, when you are trying to reach a Deaf audience, which term should you use? First, let’s break down the meanings of each.
- Deaf/deaf: This simple change in capitalization means a great deal when distinguishing between ‘Deaf’ and ‘deaf’. The word ‘deaf’ (with a lowercase ‘d’) refers to the inability to hear, as in a medical diagnosis. On the other hand, ‘Deaf’ (with a capital ‘D’) connotates an active engagement in the Deaf community and with Deaf culture. Someone can be deaf without being Deaf.
- Hard of hearing: ‘Hard of hearing’ is more of a gray area. It usually refers to having some capacity of hearing.
- Hearing impaired: This term, while technically meaning the same thing as ‘deaf,’ is used far less often in the Deaf community.
What term someone prefers for themself will vary. In fact, there are members of the Deaf community who prefer the phrase ‘hearing impaired’ over ‘deaf’ or ‘hard of hearing’; there is no overall “right” or “wrong” term to use. However, does using the term Deaf vs hearing impaired matter when trying to attract an audience of people who are involved in the Deaf community? Does one term receive more positive engagement?
Process
I created a very simple codebook for this research, which is shown below:
The Cohen’s kappa of this codebook is 1.
After testing the validity of my codebook, I looked up YouTube videos with titles that included the words ‘Deaf/deaf,’ ‘hard of hearing’ or ‘hearing impaired’ and chose the first thirty of each that popped up. I then looked at the views per video with the likes per video.
Totals
Conclusion
Based on the data collected, it is clear that YouTube videos with ‘Deaf/deaf’ in the title generate more likes and bring in more views. However, while the difference between the number of views between videos including ‘Deaf/deaf’ and ‘hearing impaired’ is just under 22 million, the difference in likes is only about 475 thousand. Based on the data, when it comes to Deaf vs hearing impaired, it would be best to use the words ‘Deaf/deaf’ in your titles (because it may give you the most traffic).
However, at the end of the day, while the title of your YouTube video is important, what’s most important is making sure your content is respectful. So, as long as you do your research about the Deaf community beforehand so that you’re aware of what terms Deaf people prefer, your content will reflect that, which should help you find that you’ll be able to attract the audience you’re looking for.